The present invention relates to improvements in firearms and particularly to an improved safety mechanism for bolt action firearms.
A long-standing problem in bolt action firearms is that when the bolt is rotated to the unlocked position in opening the breech, the firearm may accidentally discharge a cartridge contained in its chamber. This occurs because many safety mechanisms for bolt action firearms must be placed in an "off-safe," or firing, position to permit the bolt to be raised from its closed and locked position.
Particularly when firearms have been designed or modified for hunting use, the trigger mechanism is often adjusted to require only a very small amount of movement to release the striker which propels the firing pin into the primer of the cartridge. While in most military rifles an appreciable amount of slack in the trigger mechanism must be taken up before the striker is released, such firearms when modified for hunting use ordinarily do not have such slack in the trigger mechanism, and are subject to accidental discharge as a result.
Some bolt action firearms employ a safety mechanism attached to the rear end of the breech bolt. Typically, a knob or small lever of such a safety mechanism must be moved to engage or disengage the safety, a movement requiring the shooter to release his grip on the stock of the firearm.
Most previously known safety mechanisms for bolt action firearms are either of the bolt mounted type just described, or else operate by blocking a portion of the trigger or sear mechanism, preventing the trigger from being moved sufficiently for the sear to release the striker. Because of the short distance which the trigger must move to discharge a cartridge in a firearm designed for hunting use, however, even a small amount of wear in a safety mechanism of this type may be sufficient to allow an accidental discharge of the firearm, upon rotation of the bolt to open the breech, or should the trigger snap on an object as the firearm is being carried.
Customarily, in the case of known firearms which are provided with a lock for securing the bolt against rotation, the bolt lock is coupled with the safety mechanism in such a way that when the safety mechanism is set on "safe," the bolt is prevented from opening. In such firearms, then, the bolt and firing mechanism are both locked or else both capable of actuation. As a result, there is a definite uncertainty while handling the firearm, because a shot can be accidentally discharged as the bolt is rotated.
What is needed, therefore, is a safety mechanism for a bolt action firearm which can secure the bolt in its locked position, preventing opening of the bolt and also preventing actuation of the firearm, and which selectively permits rotation of the bolt from its locked position while still preventing discharge of a cartridge. Additionally, such a safety mechanism should be handily operable by the shooter without the need to remove his hand from its normal position on the stock of the firearm.